OK, I guess that I'll start things out, since nobody seems to be posting here...

In the beginning of "Take Musu Aiki" Morihei Ueshiba attempts to explain what "Aikido" is - one of the examples given is "Aikido is the mysterious action of kotodama, the great way of universal misogi.", which explains the title of the thread. He gives a number of other examples, along more or less similar lines. Now of course, he was speaking to a very specific audience in this case (the "Byakko Shinko Kai" - "White Light Association"). Still, it is clear, even from the testimony of his students at the Kobukan, that this kind of thinking dominated his mind even before the war.

He gives these explanations, apparently, in response to a request made to begin the lectures with an explanation of what "Aikido" is. My question is this - if someone made a similar request of you, what would you say?

Best,

Chris

Hello Chris,

Do you think that the "Takemusu Aiki" lectures indicate that O Sensei had any knowledge of the beliefs of Byakko Shinko Kai, or tailored the lectures to respond to Byakko Shinko Kai beliefs, especially the beliefs concerning the whirlpool of karmic waves allegedly circulating the planet?